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Samsung, LG, Hisense and Changhong present smart appliances for laundry at CES 2026
by Lars Petersen
CES 2026: smart fridges from Samsung, LG, Bosch and co
8/1/2026
Translation: machine translated
Refrigerators with artificial intelligence have not just been a topic since yesterday. At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Samsung, LG and other manufacturers are presenting new models that can respond to spoken words and recommend recipes.
Just refrigerating is a thing of the past. If manufacturers have their way, refrigerators can now be a nutritionist, recipe book, shopping aid or logistics hub thanks to AI.
Samsung is working on the «intelligent ecosystem» for the home
Samsung has long understood your home as a network into which artificial intelligence is fully integrated. The AI-powered refrigerator acts as the centrepiece of this so-called «Bespoke AI Family Hub».
Source: Samsung
Its artificial intelligence is based on Google Gemini and should now be able to recognise what you put in or take out of the fridge for even more food and processed products than before.
The function «What's today?» allows the refrigerator to recommend recipes based on the available ingredients, for example. You get step-by-step instructions for selected recipes. «Video to Recipe» gives you access to cooking videos and converts them into easy-to-follow steps so you don't have to stop and rewind the video when cooking.
«Foodnote» is a weekly report that can summarise dietary patterns, most used ingredients, recipe suggestions and items purchased. Thanks to voice recognition, the refrigerator is able to differentiate between Family members and display relevant content.
A scanner makes shopping easier with GE Profile
GE Profile is also presenting a smart refrigerator at the important trade fair for electronics, in the words of the manufacturer with «integrated kitchen assistant».
Source: GE
This means, for example, that the GE refrigerator has a scanner that reads packaging and adds items to a shopping list. This can be done manually via an eight-inch touchscreen on the door or by voice command.
Finally, you should be able to access a camera inside the fridge via the app and check which products you are missing at the cheese counter in the supermarket, for example.
Hisense has an intelligent kitchen assistant in the fridge
The new Connectlife Hub fridges from Chinese manufacturer Hisense are being launched with two high-resolution displays. Number one displays apps, while number two is responsible for the actual functions of the refrigerator.
The fridges are compatible with an AI agent that can recommend dishes and recipes, help with cooking preparation and suggest suitable wines, among other things.
Changhong: Refrigerator with humidity from the cloud
The intelligent refrigerator from Changhong in China is no longer a world first, as it was already unveiled at Ifa 2025 in Berlin. However, the manufacturer has high hopes for the concept of controlling humidity via the cloud to keep «food optimally fresh».
At LG, the refrigerator controls the cooling independently
The refrigerator in the new Signature line from LG also has an AI on board that you can talk to
Source: LG
A 6.8-inch LCD display helps to optimise cooling, according to the manufacturer. The LG refrigerator can independently monitor changes in temperature. It recognises patterns in user behaviour and lowers the temperature up to two hours before the door is expected to be opened.
With the help of the ThinQ app and an internal camera, the LG fridge can also see which ingredients are currently available for cooking. It can indicate the missing ingredients, recommend recipes or - as LG writes - suggest creative substitutes «» .
When not in use for other purposes, the refrigerator's T-OLED panel displays graphics that you can select according to your preferences.
Bosch fridges can recognise objects
Bosch has not brought a completely new refrigerator to CES 2026. However, the German manufacturer's appliances use artificial intelligence to recognise objects so that fruit and vegetables stay optimally fresh. This object recognition should also help to optimise the use of space in the refrigerator.
Source: Bosch
The latest Bosch appliances work with Google Assistant and Alexa. This means you can check the temperature or find out whether the door is still open without lifting a finger.
Whirlpool kitchen appliances communicate with each other
Finally, US manufacturer Whirlpool is focussing on integration with its kitchen appliances. If they are connected to each other via an app, the Whirlpool oven, for example, can preheat based on the refrigerator's recipe recommendations.
Personally, I find this technical progress and the possibilities of AI extremely exciting. Especially when, for example, the fridge helps to ensure that less food spoils and ends up in the bin.
However, these appliances are not available for little money. The capabilities of AI are developing so quickly that it's hard to keep up in your head. I'd rather wait and see. I won't be one of the technology pioneers, but I won't have a device today that will be completely outdated tomorrow.
What do you think of the smart fridge? Exciting? Helpful? Or totally superfluous? Let me know in the comments.
Header image: Samsung
When I was a toddler, I already knew my neighbour's car was a VW Golf GTD. And I've never lost my passion for cars, motorcycles and vans. Having worked as an automotive journalist for 15 years, I'm also interested in anything to do with camping, tinkering, gardening and DIY.
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